Post A9iZ66T4SpFMxgO8Ya by es0mhi@tilde.zone
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 (DIR) Post #A9iZ66T4SpFMxgO8Ya by es0mhi@tilde.zone
       2021-07-27T13:53:14Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       #amateurradio #IOTAcontestPerhaps I am the least spontaneous person you can imagine. But sometimes things you couldn't plan may turn out better than with all the usual preparations.Last weekend was the weekend of the #IOTA (Islands on the Air) contest. But since we had promised three years in a row to visit some relatives during their summer vacation, this weekend seemed like the time to make good on that promise. So I forgot about IOTA.It wasn't until my wife asked me if I would take some radio equipment with me that it occurred to me that we would in fact be going to the neighboring island of Saaremaa, and that maybe I could still take a quick shot at contesting (operating portable). So I grabbed what I had on hand: a dipole for 20m, no antenna tuner, just the radio and a car battery.When I woke up early on Sunday morning, I found a nice spot right by the sea. After the antenna was set up, I had four hours to participate in the contest. And it turned out to be a most pleasant, memorable day: hot summer weather, a beautiful view, and a relaxed but at no time boring contest. (I might even surpass my last year's result, as I got significantly more multipliers ;-).